Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 302 › Conversation 302-031
Nixon & Ziegler on Public Relations and Press Strategy
Monday, November 1, 1971 · 2:47 PM–2:49 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building · 2 min
AI Summary
President Nixon and Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler coordinated a media strategy regarding the public relations management of international affairs, specifically involving Mexico and Haiti. The discussion centered on staging photo opportunities and controlling the administration's messaging narrative to ensure foreign agents or observers are not perceived as dominating the situation. Nixon emphasized the importance of projecting success and directed Ziegler to manage press inquiries by emphasizing that specific international movements are not occurring.
Audio
Transcript (AI-generated)
This transcript is incomplete. The transcription skipped stretches of speech — roughly 1 minute of this recording (about 29% of it) is represented by only a few words. Listen to the audio rather than relying on the text below; a corrected transcript is queued.
This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.
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NARA Description
On November 1, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:47 pm to 2:49 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 302-031 of the White House Tapes.
Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 302-31 Date: November 1, 1971 Time: 2:47 pm - 2:49 pm Location: Executive Office Building The President talked with Ronald L. Ziegler. [See Conversation No. 13-56]
Also recorded on November 1, 1971
- 013-054 2:29 PM · 33 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Thelma C. ("Pat") (Ryan) Nixon talked on the telephone from 2:29 pm to 2:30 pm.
- 013-055 2:30 PM · 8 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
- 302-028 2:30 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
- 302-029 2:30 PM · 5 min — President Richard M. Nixon and H. R. ("Bob") Haldeman met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
- 302-030 2:30 PM · 5 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 2:30 pm and 2:47 pm.
- 013-056 2:47 PM · 2 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Ronald L. Ziegler talked on the telephone from 2:47 pm to 2:49 pm.
- 302-032 2:54 PM · 1 hr 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, Melvin R. Laird, Stephen B. Bull, White House operator, and Ronald L. Ziegler met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 2:54 pm to 4:04 pm.
- 013-057 2:55 PM · 6 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and the White House operator talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 2:55 pm and 3:55 pm.
Cite this conversation
Conversation 302-031, November 1, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/302-031 (accessed October 12, 2026).